The last time Penn State and Illinois met, it was the end of an era

STATE COLLEGE Ė So much has changed since the last time these teams met.

It was late last October, and a freak snowstorm ushered in the most dramatic, heart-wrenching and long-lasting chapter of Penn State football.

The Nittany Lions won their seventh straight game, a victory against Illinois that was claimed with a frantic, late rush on offense and preserved when a last-second Illini field goal bounced off an upright.It was Joe Paternoís historic 409th victory.It would be the last game he ever coached.

Eventually, the Jerry Sandusky scandal and ensuing NCAA sanctions would even technically wipe it off the books.

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But thereís also this: Since that strange day of tailgate sledding, both teams feature new coaching staffs and are trying to produce new, positive beginnings.

After that game, Penn State lost its head coach and three of its final four games, including a blowout bowl defeat to Houston.Illinois lost its final six games of the season.

Penn State senior cornerback Stephon Morris remembers the end of that day, how the Penn State student section quickly piled together behind the goal post to provide a distraction to the Illinois kicker.He said he hadnít really thought of the gameís significance to Paterno.

ďWow, I didnít really realize it was his last game,Ē he said.

Then he paused to try and collect his thoughts.

ďJust to see how much weíve come along, how much of a difference a year makes.Ē

Morris has his own bit of history with the Illini. He was a true freshman the last time the Lions traveled to Champaign, Ill., in 2009.He made his first and only interception of the season that day, a long pass he picked off at the goal line on the final play before halftime. He zigzagged across the field, returning the ball 70 yards before finally being brought down.

Now, he is not only a seasoned starter but also a team leader.

He was upset this summer when Illinois coaches came to State College to try and recruit his teammates in the aftermath of the NCAA sanctions.But he said the Lions are over that now. They have other motivations for Saturday. They must.

ďYou can play the game angry, but it wonít get you anywhere,Ē he said. ďItís got to be a motivation every time you come onto the field.Ē ź